Help! I’m Leaking Staff! : Tips To Help Squelch Your Turnover Rate

Good jobs are few and far between these days. It’s difficult for most to land one they feel they can move up in and enjoy, or at least be comfortable in. In fact, there are so few of them, many will try on hats they are simply not qualified for or outright hate just for the chance to bring home a steady paycheck and support their family.

With that said, even with the frustration that comes with trying to find a good job, ultimately, if an employee doesn’t feel comfortable with the environment, or simply can’t hack it, they will vacate the position.

This leaves the company short handed, scrambling for a replacement, and facing more man hours training a new employee. Below are a few things your company can do to help avoid that situation.

Make Sure They Understand Their Job

Do you remember what it was like to be the new kid in school? How about trying to find your way around the first day of high school? It is an anxiety attack waiting to happen for most. Starting a new job is much like that.

Even if your new employee comes in with a masters degree in the appropriate field and has years of experience, there is always the mystery of not knowing exactly what is expected of him/her. Most are intelligent enough to figure it out on their own and some will tell you outright that they don’t want the help.

However, one of the biggest reasons people leave a job is because they feel they are continuously disciplined for either doing things they didn’t know they weren’t supposed to or not completing tasks that they were unaware they were responsible for.

Take the time not only to educate your staff on the responsibilities of their job, but make sure they can tell you what they are supposed to do in plain language. This way you’ll know they understand. If your workers feel well informed about their duties, they will be more apt to feel comfortable staying.

Is The Pay Competitive?

The cost of living keeps rising. People are picketing for a $15 minimum wage in several states, because $7.25 an hour just isn’t enough to keep up with the rising costs. So, when an employee joins your cause, it’s a good idea to make sure what you pay them is competitive to others in the same field. For instance, the median pay for a computer programmer is about $80,000 a year.

If you are offering only $60,000 and refuse to come up on that offer, you’re liable to run off some very lucrative talent. In this field, it would be smart to offer between $70,000 and $90,000, depending on the qualifications and location. No matter how nice you are, most people are no longer willing to work for peanuts.

Be A Leader Not A Boss

It is easy to assume that we have all had that one boss who ruined a great job for us. They were demanding, merciless, lacking compassion, and were unwilling to chip in and help in a crunch. Those traits will weigh heavy on your best employees and eventually send them looking for greener pastures.

Be a leader. What’s the difference? Leaders lead by example instead of commanding with an iron fist. A leader will listen to everything you have to say and genuinely weigh the pros and cons before giving a well formed answer.

They patiently teach instead of just expecting you to know or figure it out on your own and they discipline without shouting or humiliating their employees. Your staff are as human as you are. If you respect them enough to lead and not bully them, they will fight through the worst of situations just to make sure their job is done and done well.

In a world where good jobs are hard to find and good employees are hard to keep, it just makes sense that you would try to find a middle ground. Use these tips to do just that.